Korg LP-380 Review
The Korg Corporation has been producing electronic keyboards and pianos for over 50 years and during that time introduced many ground-breaking products, particularly in the synthesizer market. Korg currently produce a small range of digital pianos including the LP-380 which was introduced in 2013.
First Impressions
The first thing that strikes you about the LP-380 is the modern slim line design, which will definitely appeal to those people who are looking for a piano that is more contemporary looking. Korg have certainly opted to steer away from the traditional piano look, and while this may not appeal to everybody, there are many potential purchasers out there who want something more modern and compact looking. Available in black, white or red, the LP-380 must surely be one of the smallest 88 key furniture style digital pianos available. Unusually for a piano at this price level the speakers are housed in a self-contained speaker box underneath the keyboard facing the player and this certainly enhances the sound. What’s more, the internal amplifier is 2x22 watts, which is higher than most instruments at this price level. I have to say, the sound quality through the speakers is very good and certainly better than many similarly priced instruments. The bass notes have a real depth, something that is often lacking on smaller pianos.
Review
The LP-380 utilizes Korg’s Real Weighted Hammer Action (RH3) which Korg say reproduces the same playing experience as on a grand piano, with heavier response in the lower register that becomes lighter as you play up the keyboard. Also, quick repetition of notes is possible due to the improved response that is offered by the RH3 action. Keyboard action on digital pianos is always very subjective, with each manufacturer working to improve the feel and making it closer to an acoustic piano. The LP-380 is certainly as good as most at this level, although it does not offer the simulated ivory finish to the keys that some brands offer.
The LP-380 features 3 pedals with the soft and the damper supporting half pedaling. This means the pedals are not just on or off, but graduated depending on how far they are pressed, much more like a traditional piano. (For a full explanation please read the Technical Terms section of this blog)
The control panel is neatly laid out with all the buttons positioned on the left and there is also a 3 character LED display to show several functions. A simple but very useful addition, and one that many other manufacturers fail to include. The LP-380 has a few more controls than most other pianos at this price range and I have to say this does make selecting the sounds and other features much easier. There are 10 buttons for selecting the different sounds and there is also an additional ‘Bank’ button for selecting one of three sounds assigned to each of the 10 buttons, providing a total of 30 tones. The ten buttons are Piano1, Piano2, E.Piano1, E.Piano2, Harpsi/Clav, Vibes/Guitar, Organ 1, Organ 2 , Strings & Choir.
Piano 1 offers Classic Piano, Grand Piano and Jazz Piano, with Classic and Grand featuring damper resonance when the damper pedal is used. The sound is very full across the keyboard, which is certainly helped by the quality of the speaker system. It’s great to have 3 different piano sounds to choose from, and there is also a facility to make any of the sounds brighter or mellower to suit the performance. The Piano 2 button contains 2 additional acoustic piano tones, Live Piano which is a more pop piano and Honky-Tonk, the old saloon bar piano sound. There is also an Electric Grand which is the sound of a strung electric piano used by some pop bands in the 70’s/80s.
The 2 Electric Piano buttons provide a total of 6 variations, from the typical 60’s mechanical electric pianos to more contemporary synth pianos. Where appropriate, chorus effects are added to enhance the sounds. The chorus effect is preset for each sound, but can be adjusted should you wish or completely switched off, and it can also be added to any sound that wouldn’t normally have chorus. There is also Reverb which adds ambience to the sound, as if playing in a concert hall. The reverb can be set to one of three levels or turned off completely.
The next sound button is Harpsi/Clav giving a reasonable harpsichord and 2 variations of the Clavinet sound, which was, and still is used on many pop records. Stevie Wonder has used Clavinet on many of his recordings over the years.
We then have Vibes/Guitar which actually contains 3 sounds, vibraphone, marimba and an acoustic guitar sound. I’m not sure if many players will actually use these sounds but they are fairly good, and I guess they add to the flexibility of the instrument. The 2 organ buttons contain 3 Jazz and 3 Pipe organ sounds which vary in quality, but certainly there’s plenty of choice. Many similarly priced instruments only have a couple of organ sounds, so the Korg certainly scores with the available selection.
The last 2 buttons provide 3 string and 3 choir variations, which are on the whole pretty good sounds and these probably work best when using the Layer Mode. This allows you to combine a sound from any of the 10 tone buttons with another, and it is also possible to balance the volume of the 2 sounds. Some nice combinations are available, such a s strings or vocal mixed with acoustic or electric piano. It is not possible to use 2 sounds assigned to the same button however. In Layer Mode it is also possible to independently adjust the octave of each sound should you wish.
Although layering is available, there is no facility on the Korg for splitting the keyboard and using a different sound for the left and right parts as featured on some other brands. I don’t think this is a serious omission for most potential purchasers, but it could be a feature required by some more advanced players.
The overall quality of the sounds is generally good, as I would expect from a company like Korg, and although a few of the additional sounds could perhaps be slightly better, the choice of sounds is very useful and offers plenty of variation. To me, the important thing on a digital piano is the quality of the actual piano sounds, and I think the Korg does very well on that score.
Additional features
In common with other digital pianos, the Korg LP-380 offers a range of additional features. A metronome facility is included which is adjusted using the UP and Down buttons by the side of the display. The time signature and volume can also be altered. Transpose is included allowing the piano to be changed in pitch to perhaps match a singer and there is also a fine-tuning adjustment control. The touch sensitivity can also be adjusted from the standard medium setting to lighter or heavier. One feature that many manufacturers are beginning to include on their pianos is the facility to split the keyboard into two small pianos enabling 2 beginner students to practice on one instrument. Korg call this Partner Mode.
When selected, the keyboard is split at a predetermined point and the note range of each half is adjusted so that each player has a few octaves of notes of the same pitch. In this mode it is also possible for the 2 players to use a different sound and volume if required, making it easier to hear what each student is playing. Finally the soft pedal can also be reassigned as a damper pedal for the left section, creating 2 totally independent instruments.
The LP-380 also features a range of demo songs to highlight the sounds of the instrument, but sadly offers no facility to record your own performance, something that most other manufacturers do offer. This I think is a bit of an oversight by Korg as I know many beginners find it useful to be able to record their performance and listen to it, and more advanced players enjoy duetting with themselves.
There is also an auto-power off facility, which will automatically switch the piano off if it is not played for 30 minutes without a key being pressed.
Inputs/Outputs
There are two headphone sockets on the front of the instrument and a stereo line-out on the back panel for connecting the LP-380 to external amplification should you need to. MIDI In/Out (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) sockets are also included for connection to other keyboards or a PC, however there is no USB socket so a MIDI to USB cable will be required for PC connection. One nice feature when using the LP-380 as a playback device from a computer is that it is possible to use the sounds independently on 16 different channels. You can for example have piano on one track, strings on another and vibes on the next.
Conclusion
I enjoyed my time playing the LP-380 and was impressed with the overall quality of the sound and the amplification. The design will not be to everyone’s taste but will certainly appeal to people who want more modern look or where space is limited. The sounds are generally very good and there is plenty of variation.
With so many digital pianos out there to choose from, it’s easy to overlook certain instruments and Korg is perhaps not as well known as Roland or Yamaha by many people. If you’re in the market for an instrument in this price range, check out the LP-380, I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised, I know I was.
Pros
- Modern compact design
- Great internal amplification
- Good choice of sounds
- Brilliance/reverb/chorus control for each sound
- Functions easily accessible from the panel
- Simple LED display
Cons
- No internal recording device
- No split keyboard
- No USB socket
